6. She also served as the Program Executive Officer Chief Engineer at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office where her responsibilities included technical . The Space Rapid Capabilities Office procures commercial and classified technologies for the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command by Sandra Erwin June 14, 2022 January 23, 2023 Click to share on . 1989 Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C. January 2002June 2003, High Power Microwave Applications Program Manager, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, N.M. Colonel Johnson was one of five Lieutenant Colonels chosen from Air War College to be in the inaugural class of Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) sponsored Blue Horizons Fellowship, conducting research for the CSAF on competitive strategies, capacities, technology investment, and integrating concepts the Air Force should pursue to prevail across key components of the highly contested environments in 2040. The Defense Acquisition Workforce is comprised of nearly 186,000 civilian and military professionals from the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as defense agencies and field activities. Space RCO is a relatively small office filled with people who love what they do in Albuquerque, New Mexico. June 2017July 2020, Program Executive Officer, Fixed Wing, Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. . 12. 21. We plan on keeping that. 2. ElyRatner, assistant secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, discussed how China continues to prod the U.S. and challenge stability in region, even as, The entire F-35 fleet is slated to get the retrofit engine maker Pratt & Whitney has identified to mitigate the problem that led to suspended deliveries and flight restrictions for some aircraft for nearly two monthsa move that will affect hundreds of fighters globally. August 2007January 2009, Air Force Legislative Fellow, Air University, Washington, D.C. 4. Board members also include the Secretary of the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff, the Chief of Space Operations . Mission, Organization The Pentagon has named Chris Shank, a former NASA official, as director of the Strategic Capabilities Office, according to a biography posted to the Defense Department's website. The office. Mr. Walden graduated from Christopher Newport College, Newport News, Virginia, in 1982. Chinas Shenzhou-15 astronauts conduct secretive second spacewalk, Raytheon wins $250 million contract for missile-tracking satellites, Nozzle erosion blamed for Vega C launch failure, Rocket Lab reconsidering mid-air recovery of Electron boosters, Astra identifies cause of last failed Rocket 3.3 launch. About Us . Iraq Campaign Medal June 2003June 2004, Chief, Asymmetric Capabilities Development Branch, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters of the Air Force, Arlington, Va. She is responsible for developing, producing, testing, modifying, fielding, and supporting Special Operations Forces (SOF)-unique fixed wing aircraft and sub-systems, equating to over 100 programs and projects worth $1.7 billion in 2017. "The built-in feature of open systems architecture on the B-21 makes the bomber effective as the . The Directorate directs the modernization and sustainment of the Air Force's 150+ aircraft bomber fleet (B-1, B-2, B-52) and organizes, trains and equips the B-21 program in support of Air Force Global Strike Command and the United States Air Force. September 2018June 2019, Associate Executive Director, Procurement Policy, Systems and Oversight, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, D.C. SDA Taps Raytheon for Seven More Missile-Tracking Satellites, Photos: F-22s Deploy to Tinian for First Time as Part of ACE Exercise, In Message to Force, Austin Touts Once-in-a-Generation Investments, Heres What USAFs Science Board Is Studying Now, Were Weird: New Commander Details Life Inside Task Force 99, Top Pentagon Official: Chinas Air Actions Are Dangerous and Destabilizing, Entire F-35 Fleet to Get Fix for Engine Vibration Issue, Service Will Remain at Heart of King Aerospace No Matter How Aviation and Technology Change, US Set Up Afghans for Failure, With a Force Too Complex to Maintain, IG Says, Air Force Separated 610 Airmen For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine, USAF Selects Boeings E-7A Wedgetail as Successor to AWACS. Those satellites will join the already-planned 28 satellites in the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer of SDAs Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Jun 04 - Jun 05, Executive Officer, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC 8. NAVSEA Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal said the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director, . With a successful landing today, the X-37B completed its longest flight to date and successfully completed all mission objectives," Randy Walden, the director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities . March 1998September 2000, Special Projects Program Manager, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla. Oct. 9, 2019 The DAF RCO is staffed with a collaborative, multidisciplinary team. 9. Your browser is incompatible with this widget. Michael W. Roberts, a member of the Senior Executive Service, is the Director and Program Executive Officer for The Space Rapid Capabilities Office, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. 2009 Masters of Science, Systems Engineering, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif. He insisted on an open architecture for the B-21, and while USAF secured a fixed-price contract for the initial aircraft, the development program was a cost-plus arrangement that rewarded Northrop Grumman for hitting milestones early. Jun 03 - Jun 04, Chief, Asymmetric Capabilities Development Branch, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC 7. The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office . The Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO or DAF RCO) is an office in the United States Department of the Air Force tasked with expediting the development of select technological systems. Get top stories, military space news and more delivered to your inbox. In December 2018, its mission was expanded and its name changed to the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office. A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States. United States Department of the Air Force, "VCSAF Wilson visits B-21, X-37B facilities in Florida", Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office fact sheet, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Air_Force_Rapid_Capabilities_Office&oldid=1063033243, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 December 2021, at 21:16. Center for Rapid Innovation Deputy Director at Air Force Research Laboratory Society of Flight Test Engineers Over time, the Department of Defense plans to turn, Under Col. Robert Smoker, Task Force 99s new commander, the unit will continue to try to cut through red tape and field new systems quickly. During Waldens 20-year Air Force career as a flight test engineer, he worked at times on classified projects. Test and Evaluation, Level II APDP Randall G. Walden, director and program executive officer for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, speaks at AFA's Air Warfare Symposium, March 4, 2022. 2003 - 2009, Technical Director, Special Programs, Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. Two F130s housed in a twin-engine nacelle are mounted on a test stand at Stennis Space Center, Miss., where they will perform crosswind and engine control tests, Rolls program director Scott Ames said.. Dunlap would continue to oversee on-ramp experiments . . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs. Get your daily fix of Air Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. Alongside the director, he directs contracting activities executing $4 billion a year for selected study, development, and fielding activities involving 40 programs tasked directly by the Under Secretary of Defense . Rolls-Royce has started testing the F130 engine that will replace the B-52's aged TF33, the company announced. Throughout her time on active duty, Ms. Johnson served in a variety of assignments and leadership roles ranging from an aerodynamic propulsion analyst to a materiel leader for a highly classified strategic combat system directed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Previously, Mr. Keller served as Associate Executive Director for Procurement Policy, Systems and Oversight at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Director of Contracting at the Air Force District of Washington, and as Chief, Contracting Operations Division for the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition (Contracting), the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. EDUCATION The U.S. Air Force's top secret spaceplane, the Boeing X-37B, landed in Florida early Sunday after 780 daysover 2 years and one monthin orbit around the . The DAF RCO is staffed with a collaborative, multidisciplinary team. (Current as of November 2020), An official website of the United States government, Expedites the development and fielding of select Department of Defense combat support and weapon systems, Leverages defense-wide technology development efforts and existing operational capabilities, Provides integration and technical support to other Service or U.S. Government activities, Conducts independent operational and technical assessments of weapon or combat support system capabilities and vulnerabilities, Takes on new challenges to accelerate operationally-focused capabilities, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. MICHAEL W. ROBERTS. 6. Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster Mar 98 - Sep 00, Special Projects Program Manager, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB FL 4. Specifically, the office: Organization Their hard work began to pay off as more people volunteered. Air Force Commendation Medal 1997 - 1998, Classified Flight Test Squadron Commander, Nellis AFB, Nev. It is also supposed to mirror certain efforts at the SDA, which now reports to the Pentagons research and engineering boss but will transfer to the Space Force in the next few years. Jun 17 - present, Program Executive Officer, Fixed-Wing, Special Operations Forces, Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB FL MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Defense Meritorious Service Medal with Two Oak Leaf Cluster Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster Air Force Commendation Medal Air Force Achievement Medal DATES OF PROMOTIONS Second Lieutenant Mar 1996 First Lieutenant Mar 1998 Captain Mar 2000 Major Mar 2006 Lieutenant Colonel Apr 2011 Colonel Apr 2017 PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS Program Management, Level III, Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) Test and Evaluation, Level II APDP Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering, Level II, APDP. March 1996August 1997, Aerodynamic Propulsion Analyst, National Air Intelligence Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio AWARDS AND HONORS 220812-F-NW306-1020. 1. The overall goal of the organization is to acquire and launch space systems more quickly. July 1996July 1997, Assistant Chief, Spacecraft Contracts Branch, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles, Calif. The DAF RCO delivers capabilities at the speed of emerging threats. Afghanistan Campaign Medal The Department of the Air Force's Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapon Systems, or CROWS, is working to expand best practices in the field of cyber security by potentially expanding its Cyber Focus Teams to Space Force Program Executive Offices, as well as updating the DAF System Security Engineering Guidebook. 1984 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, Parks College of St. Louis University, Cahokia, Ill. He served in a variety of roles, leading contracting operations in support of space and aircraft systems acquisition, installation and specialized support, and contingency operations in three different theaters. Bronze Star Medal 1996 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence In a statement June 13, Hammett said: Im really excited about the new opportunity and the trust being placed in me to lead the Space RCO team as they deliver new capabilities to the U.S. Space Force that are desperately needed to fill important warfighter gaps., Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. Rapid Capabilities Office January 2009August 2011, Director, Non-Standard Aircraft Systems, Program Executive Office for Fixed Wing Aircraft, Center for Special Operations Acquisitions and Logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla. 2013 - 2014, Director, Air Force Test and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. 2007 Joint Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va. Official websites use .mil . August 1997March 1998, Special Projects Engineer, 28th Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla. Roberts and SDA Director Derek M. Tournear talk at least once a week about their similar efforts. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIAs National Defense Gen. Jeffery Valenzia, who leads the Air Force's ABMS . )or https:// means you've safely connected to the .mil website. A U.S. Air Force X-37B space plane, encapsulated ahead of a planned May 16, 2020, launch, the sixth mission for the X-37B program. Clockwise from left, Randall G. Walden, director and program executive officer at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, Michael W. Roberts, director and PEO at the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, and retired USAF Maj. Gen. Larry Stutzriem, director of research at AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, appear in conversation during a Space Power Forum hosted by the think tank on . The conflict in Ukraine is increasingly emerging as a test bed for new American unmanned aerial systems (UAS). 3. by Sandra Erwin June 25, 2018 January 23, 2023 Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Director. The office responds to Combat Air and Space Forces and combatant command requirements. Randall G. Walden, head of the separate Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, indicated in 2018 the new group needed to set a baseline from which to start its work. Located in Washington, D.C., the DAF RCO reports directly to a Board . Colonel Johnson was an Air Force Legislative Fellow for Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and served as an advisor on defense, foreign policy, and military construction issues. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency handles similar initiatives that can transition to the Space RCO as well. Deliveries of the engine, which powers the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, resumed Feb. 18 after nearly a two-month hiatus. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021. 1999 - 2002, Chief, Special Studies Division, Air Force Red Team, Directorate of Special Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. A Program Executive Officer may be responsible for a specific program (e.g., the Joint Strike Fighter), or for an entire portfolio of similar programs (e.g., the Air Force PEO for Space, who is responsible for all acquisition programs at the Air Force Space Command Space and . Colonel Johnson received her commission from the United States Air Force Officer Training School in March 1996. The deputy or technical director to a SCO may exercise any SCO authority unless restricted in the FAR, as supplemented (e.g., individual authorized to execute a specific authority must be of a certain minimum grade/rank), or as specifically limited by the SCO. MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS (Current as of November 2020), An official website of the United States government, Air Force Distributed Common Ground System, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil. The winners will officially receive the honor in a virtual ceremony on Dec. 15, 2021. Jun 05 Jul 07, Chief, Offensive Capabilities Branch, Rapid Capabilities Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington DC 9. The Air Force Scientific Advisory Boarda group of experts and researchers the department taps for independent advice on key science and technology effortsis undertaking four studies in 2023, including two that will likely inform the services approach to Secretary Frank Kendalls operational imperatives. August 2016May 2017, Chief, Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent Integration, Intercontinental Ballistics Systems Division, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah Everybody has their job to do and they do it., Rolls-Royce has started testing the F130 engine that will replace the B-52's aged TF33, the company announced. The office responds to Combat Air and Space Forces and combatant command requirements. The Secretary of the Air Force activated the office on April 28, 2003. EDUCATION He is the senior adviser to the Service Acquisition Executive on acquisition strategy, execution and policy and procedures for classified and SAP contracting. Michael W. Roberts, Director and Program Executive Officer for The Space Rapid Capabilities Office Video. Full Report. The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (DAF RCO) has accelerated methods for developing, acquiring and fielding critical combat capabilities. The office preserves the strength of U.S. ingenuity and innovation without the rigidity of traditional acquisition. He is responsible for oversight and support of the Air Force SAP and Classified Contracting portfolio at Headquarters Air Force level valued at greater than $40 billion and senior level advocacy and training for 1,100 military and civilian acquisition professionals. June 2003June 2006, Commander, 7th Contracting Squadron, 7th Mission Support Group, 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, Texas The office preserves the strength of U.S. ingenuity and innovation without the rigidity of traditional acquisition. The Space RCO sees itself as a fast-moving counterpart to the SMC, which handles more traditional military satellites, radars, and other space-related equipment from design to retirement. In his previous position as the Director for Development and Integration, PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, he integrated system requirements and resources for combat systems, associated elements and facilitated the execution of effective systems engineering processes for development, integration and developmental test of Navy Surface Combat System capabilities. 3. AWARDS AND HONORS June 2019present, Director of Contracting, Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office / Special Access Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. September 2005January 2006, Chief, Theater Contracts Division, Principal Assistant Responsible for ContractingForces, Joint Contracting Command - Iraq/Afghanistan, Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq 1982 - 1984, Student, Air Force Institute of Technology, Parks College of St. Louis University, Cahokia, Ill. The Air Force released a new B-21 Raider artist rendering graphic with an accompanying fact sheet today. One of its first projects was to deploy significant upgrades to the Integrated Air Defense System, now operational around the National Capital Region, to meet critical counter-terrorism objectives before the January 2005 Presidential Inauguration Day. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. Additionally, Mr. Keller is Director of Contracting, Air Force Special Access Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Published Aug. 31, 2020. She assisted the Director in overseeing a $4 billion Air Force test infrastructure and the programming and execution of the Air Force test portfolio with an annual budget of $1.9 billion. Mission SDA is pursuing a constellation of potentially thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit to handle everything from target tracking to missile warning. During her assignment at the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, she served as the Chief of the Offensive Capabilities Branch, where she was responsible for integrating acquisition efforts in support of multiple classified programs valued at over $600M. The decision to make the fix to.